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Game of Thrones (TV series)
''Game of Thrones ''is an American fantasy television series produced by HBO cable network. It is based on the novel series ''A Song of Ice and Fire''' '''written by George R.R. Martin who serves as a producer, creative consultant and scriptwriter on the television series. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss created the television series and serve as executive producers, showrunners and the main writers. To date, the series consists of six fully transmitted seasons comprising sixty episodes in total, while the series has been renewed for a seventh season, which consists of seven episodes. Showrunners Benioff and Weiss have stated that going for eight seasons is the ultimate goal.http://watchersonthewall.com/game-of-thrones-will-go-at-least-eight-seasons-says-hbo/ Production of the series is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, mainly at the Paint Hall Studios. It is the largest and most expensive television production ever mounted in Northern Ireland. Filming for the series has also been conducted in Malta, Iceland, Croatia, Morocco, Spain, and the USA. Production history http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/File:Eddard_promo.jpg A HBO promotional image of Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark.http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/File:Season2CastEW.png An Entertainment Weekly promotional photo of some of the Season 2 cast. From left to right Kit Harington, Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Peter Dinklage. See the production timeline for a more detailed history of the show's development and production. David Benioff was sent a collection of the first four novels in the series (''A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords and A Feast for Crows) by George R.R. Martin's agent. Initially sceptical of the fantasy genre, Benioff became a big fan of the books and invited his friend D.B. Weiss to develop the project with him for a screen adaptation. They initially considered a movie adaption, but realized this would mean losing most of the plot and characters from the books. Instead, they began working on an adaptation for television. They met with George R.R. Martin and spent several hours discussing the project. Martin was impressed with their enthusiasm and that they had already worked out the resolutions to several key mysteries in the books. He agreed with them that the series was a good fit for the cable company HBO, which Martin was already a big fan of. HBO agreed to option the project in 2007 and active development of a pilot script began. However, this was delayed by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. In October 2008 HBO exercised its option to buy the rights to the series and ordered a pilot episode a few weeks later. Casting announcements were made throughout 2009, with Peter Dinklage the first actor formally announced for the series. The pilot episode was filmed in Northern Ireland and Morocco in October and November 2009. HBO officially greenlit the series on 2 March 2010. Filming of Season 1 began on 23 July, with Malta replacing Morocco for overseas filming. Several actors from the pilot were recast, requiring the re-filming of most of the first episode. The season wrapped filming on 15 December. HBO later confirmed that the first season had a budget of $60 million. The first season aired on HBO on 17 April-19 June 2011, garnering critical acclaim and steadily rising ratings. HBO confirmed after the transmission of the first episode that a second season had been commissioned. Production of Season 2 began on 25 July 2011 and wrapped on 12 December. Malta was dropped as a filming location, replaced by Croatia, while additional filming took place in Iceland. The budget for Season 2 was 15% higher than Season 1, necessitated by the addition more ambitious effects sequences and the use of CGI creatures such as direwolves and dragons. The second season aired from 1 April to 3 June 2012, garnering additional critical acclaim and increased ratings. By the end of the second season, the show had become the third-most-successful series in HBO's history, behind only The Sopranos and True Blood. In addition, the DVD and Blu-ray set of Season 1 was released just prior to transmission of Season 2 and immediately became HBO's fastest-selling media release in its history. Production of Season 3 began on 10 July 2012 and wrapped on 24 November. Morocco was added to the filming roster alongside Croatia, Iceland and Northern Ireland, with the complexities of filming requiring the addition of a third filming unit to the existing two. An additional scene was shot in Los Angeles for safety reasons, meaning that Season 3 was filmed in five separate countries on three continents. The season aired from 31 March to 2 June 2013. The penultimate episode The Rains of Castamere won widespread critical acclaim for its shock twist ending. By the end of the season the show had supplanted True Blood as the second-most successful HBO show in the United States and The Sopranos as its most successful series worldwide. Production of Season 4 began on 8 July 2013 and concluded on 21 November. Production was more focused this season, with only two units used and filming restricted to Northern Ireland, Iceland and Croatia. This was to allow more of the budget to be concentrated on several major action and effects sequences late in the season. Production of Season 5 ran from 18 July 2014 to 12 December. Production was focused once more, with two units filming in Northern Ireland, Croatia and Spain, with Spain being a new addition to the show's shooting countries. Production of Season 6 ran from mid-July 2015 to 17 December. Filming took place in Northern Ireland and Spain, while the production only returned to Croatia for a brief shoot, as they used several locations in Spain as exterior sets for King's Landing, Braavos and Meereen. Production of Season 7 ran from 31 August 2016 to February 2017, which was later than past seasons, mainly due to the desire to accurately depict the winter that now grips Westeros, and will be shortened to seven episodes, due to the smaller amount of story content remaining, as well as the increased production values and time required to film episodes involving larger set pieces. Filming took place in Northern Ireland, Spain, Iceland and, once again briefly, Croatia. Adaptation process and catching up with the books Seasons 1-4: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings & A Storm of Swords As of 2016, five books have been published in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and author George R.R. Martin has predicted that there will be two more (though he is struggling not to let the final book run long, in which case it would have to be split, for a total of eight books). The third novel, A Storm of Swords, was so long that it pushed the limits of how large a published book could physically be without pages falling out. Because the third novel was so long, the production team realized it would be impossible to condense it all into a single season, so the decision was made to adapt its contents across two seasons. While Season 3 ends with the Red Wedding, this actually happened in the middle of the third novel (similar to how Renly Baratheon suddenly died in the middle of Season 2). Jon Snow returned to Castle Black by the middle of the third novel. Daenerys Targaryen had not yet reached Meereen by the middle of the third novel. A few characters did advance further than this in Season 3, i.e. Bran Stark actually passed north of the Wall at the end of the third novel (he had so few chapters in the entire book that the TV producers didn't want to space it out for two full seasons). By the end of the fourth season, most of the characters had completed their story from the third novel. Season 5 and 6: Intercutting A Feast for Crows & A Dance with Dragons What was originally planned as the fourth novel was even longer than the third novel, so Martin split it into two novels: A Feast for Crows (the fourth book) and A Dance with Dragons (the fifth book). The fourth and fifth books occur during a simultaneous timeframe: all of the chapters set in the Seven Kingdoms were moved to the fourth book, while all chapters set outside of the Seven Kingdoms (at the Wall or across the Narrow Sea in Essos) were moved to the fifth book. Though of course, despite splitting them because as one book they would have been longer than the third novel, Martin kept making additions to the fourth and fifth novels during the writing process, so both are nearly as long as the third novel. It would be odd to spend an entire season with one set of characters while the rest do not appear, then reverse this in the subsequent season. So Seasons 5 chronologically presented events in the order that they happened. This is comparable to how J.R.R. Tolkien's The Two Towers actually consisted of two halves: the first half entirely follows Aragorn since the end of the first novel, then the second half backs up in time to follow only Frodo's perspective, but during the same timeframe since the end of the first novel. Peter Jackson's movie adaptation, however, chose to simply intercut between the two storylines to show events in the chronological order in which they occurred. Thus "Season 5" consisted of the majority of the material from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. Seasons 7 and 8: Beyond the books Given that there are currently five novels (with the third split into two seasons), but given the fact that the majority of the fourth and fifth novels have been adapted in season 5 and 6, there was only a very limited amount of material left to be adapted. Even so, Martin has told producers Benioff & Weiss the general outline of how the final two books are going to progress (so if a bolt of lightning strikes Martin, they'd still be able to finish according to Martin's general plan). As a result, the total amount of seasons remained unclear for quite some time. During Season 3, in an interview with Mother Jones magazine, Benioff & Weiss said that they thought the TV series might run as many as eight seasons, for a total of 80 episodes, though they were unsure: :Mother Jones: "So I gather that Game of Thrones could last eight or nine seasons. Does that mean putting novel writing on hold for a decade? :Benioff & Weiss: "Yes, if we live that long and HBO keeps wanting to make the show. We have the opportunity here to tell a coherent story that lasts for 80 hours. And while a canvas of that size presents all sorts of storytelling problems, it also allows us to spend more time with these characters we love than we'll ever get again.[2] Soon before Season 4 began, however, in early March 2014 executive producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss made several comments that they actually felt Season 4 was the "midway point" of the TV series, which would probably last seven seasons. On March 11, 2014, they said in Entertainment Weekly: :"It feels like this is the midpoint for us...If we’re going to go seven seasons, which is the plan, Season 4 is right down the middle, the pivot point...I would say it's the goal we've had from the beginning...It was our unstated goal, because to start on a show and say your goal is seven seasons is the height of lunacy. Once we got to the point where we felt like we're going to be able to tell this tale to its conclusion, that became even clearer goal. Seven gods, seven kingdoms, seven seasons. It feels right to us.”[3] The repeated statements Benioff and Weiss made throughout Season 4 that they "always" intended for there to be seven seasons simply contradict previous statements they made in formal print interviews, such as with Mother Jones in 2013 (though plans can and do change over many years). Benioff & Weiss, as well as George R.R. Martin himself, then provided comments for the April 2014 issue of Vanity Fair (which was released about two weeks after Benioff and Weiss said in Entertainment Weekly that there might be only seven seasons). Contradicting his statements made at the same time in EW that "we're going for seven seasons, it's been our goal since the beginning", Benioff instead repeated that the production team wasn't sure if the TV series would last "seven or eight" seasons. :"If we're a series and we're four seasons, five seasons in, and it's indefinite as to how long it's gonna go, then I don't think there’s as much pressure as far as, the end is coming, the end is nigh. So, for us, whether it ends up being seven or eight, it's right around there. I think we've always felt — we just completed the fourth season — this is the midpoint. And we're coming around the bend right now."[4] D.B. Weiss also said in Vanity Fair, after they had just finished Season 4 and were about to start writing Season 5, that they saw the show as running up to eight seasons: :"We know there’s an end somewhere in the seven-or-eight season zone. It’s not something that goes ten, eleven — it doesn't just keep on going because it can. I think the desire to milk more out of it is what would eventually kill it, if we gave in to that.[5] Elio and Linda of Westeros.org analyzed these conflicting statements before Season 5 began, and offered an explanation: most TV series do not make their starring cast members sign contracts which last longer than six years. If a TV show is successful enough that it lasts longer than six years, the starring cast members can renegotiate their contracts - and because the show is now a guaranteed hit, their pay can increase drastically. A starring cast member on a longrunning and popular TV series can easily leave the show after the sixth season and enter into a lucrative film career, being paid millions of dollars instead of the several hundred thousand that a TV series can easily afford to pay them in the same time period. A hit TV series might be popular enough and generate enough revenue to sustain this - but the Game of Thrones producers have no way of completely guaranteeing that the TV series's ratings will be as high three seasons in the future. As a result, in Season 4 the executive producers started backtracking and saying that they had always intended for only seven seasons, because they were in heavy contract negotiations between the starring cast and HBO. Now unsure if they would have more than seven seasons (even though they had previously said they felt they needed at least eight to tell the story in full), they didn't want to promise more than they could confirm. Westeros.org therefore theorized that going into Season 5, the writers were adapting to a "worst case scenario mode" for the event that they only had seven seasons. This included drastically cutting several major subplots from the novels, such as omitting House Greyjoy's subplots almost entirely, not making mention of Doran Martell's other children (including his daughter and heir, Arianne), and cutting out many major characters that appear in Tyrion Lannister's storyline in the Free Cities. They went on to speculate, however, that once Season 5 had finished production, the TV writers would probably know how the cast contract negotiations worked out, and if it was indeed confirmed that they would get more than seven seasons, they would then restructure accordingly - i.e. not omitting these storylines, but pushing them back to Season 6.[6] As events unfolded, it was announced in October 2014 that HBO was indeed able to reach a settlement with the starring cast members: based on the unprecedented and continued success of the TV series, HBO agreed to give them all major pay raises. Part of this involved instituting a pay-grade system: while it a large ensemble cast, a few cast members who can arguably be called the core cast. These "Tier A" cast members as they called them were Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Kit Harington (Jon Snow), and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen).[7] Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) and Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) are not in the Tier A cast - it is possible they aren't paid as much due to being underaged. A later interview with Entertainment Weekly in March 2015 reported that for Season 5, the Tier A cast members were each paid $300,000 per episode.[8] As predicted, with these cast contract renegotiations settled, HBO and the writers began intimating that the TV series could run for more than seven seasons. In the same Entertainment Weekly interview, HBO programming president Michael Lombardo said that the network would eagerly accept the TV series going on for eight to ten seasons, but only if writers Benioff and Weiss felt it served the story instead of dragging it out (though of course, the TV series has not been "padding" the massive novels series, but omitting many subplots for time). Lombardo said: :"We'll have an honest conversation that explores all possible avenues. If they and Weiss weren't comfortable going beyond seven seasons, I trust them implicitly and trust that's the right decision—as horrifying as that is to me. What I'm not going to do is have a show continue past where the creators believe where they feel they've finished with the story.[9] Westeros.org, WatchersOnTheWall.com, and Entertainment Weekly all agreed that what increasingly seems most probable is that like other major TV series such as Mad Men, Game of Thrones will probably end with a "double-sized" seventh season, which is then split into two halves and aired a year apart (i.e. 16 episodes instead of 10, broken into two 8 episode blocks). This would functionally result in the TV series getting "eight seasons", though for purposes of prohibitively expensive cast contract negotiations, it technically wouldn't count as another full season. Benioff and Weiss also noted in the March 2015 Entertainmenet Weekly interview that the pay issue has largely been solved after successful negotiations, and the series continues to bring in revenue with high ratings, but the major issue they deal with now is the time issue: Game of Thrones is one of the largest TV productions in history, spanning multiple countries with different units filming simultaneously, and the shooting schedule for Season 5 officially lasted a massive 202 days. As they have said before, they physically cannot hope to produce more than 10 episodes at such high quality in a single year, and the scale keeps increasing, with an ever-expanding cast and new set locations. As Weiss said: :"The money issue was largely supplanted by the time issue. There’s still the money issue; since television budgets are not movie budgets, you’re always making Sophie’s choices in terms of visual effects. We ran up against the absolute limit of how many days we can shoot in a year."[10] On July 30, 2015, HBO programming president Michael Lombardo announced that the TV series will last at least eight seasons, not only seven. Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour, Lombardo said that while Season 7 was not yet technically ordered, HBO and the writing team felt that there were about two more seasons worth of story (matching the expectation that it is based on a series of seven novels, one of which was so large it was split and adapted as two TV seasons). In contrast with Benioff and Weiss's frequent declarations since Season 4 that they had "always" intended for there to be seven TV seasons (though they had repeatedly said "seven or eight" before Season 4), Lombardo said that "Seven-seasons-and-out has never been the internal conversation" between the production team and HBO. Lombardo said, :"The question is: How much beyond seven are we going to do? Obviously we’re shooting six now, hopefully discussing seven. David Benioff and Dan Weiss are feel like there’s two more years after six. I would always love for them to change their minds, but that’s what we’re looking at right now."[11] Lombardo also directly reiterated that HBO is interested in making prequel projects, adapted from Martin's other stories set in Westeros, i.e. the Tales of Dunk and Egg - but he also reiterated that they aren't going to have any serious negotiations about prequel projects until after the main TV series is over, due to the massive amount of work involved. On April 14, 2016, David Benioff estimated they had 13 episodes left after season six. "We’re heading into the final lap," he said. "That's the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that's what we're looking at." Presumably, season seven would have that number of episodes, and season eight would be six episodes. Weiss and Benioff said they were unable continuing to produce ten episodes of the show in the previous 12 to 14-month time frame. "It's crossing out of a television schedule into more of a mid-range movie schedule," Weiss said.[12] Catching up with the books George R.R. Martin himself, in the same April 2014 issue of Vanity Fair, addressed the major and related question which is frequently asked: what will happen if the TV series outpaces the remaining books? What if Martin cannot finish the next novel (the sixth, The Winds of Winter) before Season 6 has to enter production? Martin stated that while he is trying to focus on writing the remaining novels, he is opposed to rushing them to finish to match the TV series, given that he wants his novels to stand the test of time for decades, like J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Thus while Martin is hurrying, he has accepted that it a real possibility that he cannot finish the next two novels in time, admitting on his personal blog that the show would catch up with him starting season 6. Martin declined writing an episode for Season 5 and Season 6 to focus on writing The Winds of Winter, and in March 2015 canceled all of his future convention appearances to focus on writing it. Even so, it now appears all but certain that the final seasons of the TV series will probably be released before the final novel, A Dream of Spring.[13] Casting With over 400 speaking roles, nearly 200 of them named, the cast was the largest ever assembled for the debut season of a HBO project. The cast grew even larger in the second and third seasons. The cast includes Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon, Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister, Travis Fimmel as Lucius Dragen, Gerard Butler as Lord Garth Dragen, Hugh Dancy as Ser Ethan Snow, Phoebe Tonkin as Mira Dragen, Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen, Richard Madden as Robb Stark, Henry Cavill as Ashter Stark, Taron Egerton as Rodrik Stark, Alex Pettyfer as Carmine Grayburn, Liam Neeson as Lord Hendrick Grayburn, Helen McCrory as Jaeneth Grayburn, Frank McCusker as Lord Gregor Forrester, Rupert Young as Rodrik Forrester, Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister, Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish, Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy, Conleth Hill as Varys, Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane, Edvin Endre as Robert Lannister, Jerome Flynn as Bronn, John Bradley-West as Samwell Tarly, Robert Sheehan as Konrad Grayburn, Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont, James Cosmo as Jeor Mormont, Paul Brightwell as Ser Jaran Dragen, Joe Dempsie as Gendry, Emma Watson as Sarina Waters, Sibel Kekilli as Shae and Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo. The cast is also notable for including a number of teenage and child actors in prominent roles: Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark, Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark, Oscar Lloyd as Domeric Dragen, and Jack Gleeson as Joffrey Baratheon. Jennifer Ehle was initially cast as Catelyn Stark, but after filming the pilot HBO decided to recast the role with Michelle Fairley. No further details have been given for the reason behind this decision, except that it was amicable. In a similar manner, Tamzin Merchant was initially cast as Daenerys Targaryen, but after filming the pilot she was replaced by newcomer Emilia Clarke. Several prominent recurring cast members introduced in first season were Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle, Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin, Gethin Anthony as Renly Baratheon, Ian Gelder as Ser Kevan Lannister, Nick Dunning as Maron Lannister, Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister, Finn Jones as Loras Tyrell, Kate Dickie as Lysa Arryn, Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn, Anthony Hopkins as Maester Vahaelor, Cate Blanchett as Lady Alise Dragen, John Kavanagh as Duncan Catell, Nicholas Hoult as Erik Dragen, Sean Biggerstaff as Sammith, Tom Skerritt as Lord Trytas Nyte, Owen Teale as Alliser Thorne, Predrag Bjelac as Denner Frostfinger, Dominic Carter as Janos Slynt, Ian McElhinney as Barristan Selmy, David Bradley as Walder Frey, Simon Kunz as Lord Tyran Clement, Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark, Francis Magee as Yoren, Natalia Tena as Osha, Kristian Nairn as Hodor, Thorbjørn Harr as Ser Beric Cerwyn, and Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon. The second season marked the introduction of many new cast members, including Stephen Dillane as Lord Stannis Baratheon, Matthew Macfayden as Ser Glendon Estermont, Faran Tahir as Ardyn Martell, Hal Ozsan as Ser Roman Mercer, Carice van Houten as Melisandre, Liam Cunningham as Davos Seaworth, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell, Colm Feore as Ser Darron Tarly, Milo Ventimiglia as Ser Gareth Mallory, Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth, Patrick Malahide as Balon Greyjoy, Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy, Clive Standen as Caspus Harlaw, Rupert Graves as Vyran, Michael McElhatton as Roose Bolton, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Rogun Bolton, Colin O'Donoghue as Dominick Dresden, Katie McGrath as Taria Dresden, Rose Leslie as Ygritte, Hannah Murray as Gilly, Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar, Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne and Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett. For the third season, the cast was further swelled with additions, including Jeremy Irons as Trevyr Blackgard, Max Irons as Eddin Blackgard, Riley Keough as Elyse Blackgard, Ray Stevenson as Dyron Blackgard, Claire Bloom as Sofina Blackgard, Sam Claflin as Carron Heartley, Michael Gambon as Asten Wylde, Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell, Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Snow, Ciaran Hinds as Mance Rayder, Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane, Anton Lesser as Qyburn, Danny Sapani as Baelic, Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei, Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm, Tara Fitzgerald as Selyse Baratheon, Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon, Ralph Fiennes as Randar Bolton, Paul Bettany as Rodrik Nyte, Clive Russell as Brynden Tully, Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully, Richard Dormer as Beric Dondarrion, Tom Holland as Arthur Stark, Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Ellie Kendrick as Jojen and Meera Reed. For the fourth season, only a few new cast members were added, including Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell, Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand, Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis, Helena Bonham Carter as Barbrey Dustin, Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Mace Tyrell, Colm Meaney as Hersham Groatworth, Dean-Charles Chapman as Tommen Baratheon and Rupert Vansittart as Yohn Royce. For the fifth season, many new cast members were introduced, including Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow, Faye Marsay as the Waif, Tom Felton as Aegon Targaryen, Sean Harris as Jon Connington, Alexander Siddig as Doran Martell, DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah and Keisha Castle-Hughes, Jessica Henwick and Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as the Sand Snakes: Obara, Nymeria and Tyene Sand, and Victor Rasuk as Zarin Sand. For the sixth season, a small number of new cast members were added, including Max von Sydow as the Three-eyed raven, Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy, Tom Hardy as Jasper Greyjoy, Francis Chouler as Dorran Pyke, Juan Pablo Di Pace as Drevyn Baerley, Domhnall Gleeson as Vurus, Michael Feast as Aeron Greyjoy and James Faulkner as Randyll Tarly. Premise The series is set on a world where the seasons can last for years at a time. The main setting is the continent of Westeros, which was home to seven feuding kingdoms until they were united by the Targaryen family using dragons some three centuries ago. The dragons died out and the Targaryen Mad King was unseated in a civil war led by Lords Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark, seventeen years before the series opens. Robert has ruled as King ever since, but when the series opens his rule is increasingly undermined by other factions. At the same time, two surviving Targaryen children, having grown to adulthood in exile on the eastern continent of Essos, are now planning to return and retake the Iron Throne, and to this end are seeking a military alliance with other factions. As both civil war and an external invasion threaten Westeros, another danger arises in the lands to the far north, beyond the vast Wall that forms the realm's northern border, where a supernatural threat believed to be mythical seems to be stirring after millennia of sleep. The only defense lies with the Night's Watch, an under-manned, under-funded order of soldiers once held in honor but now used as a dumping ground for criminals and exiles. The Great Houses Westeros is ruled by ten noble houses, who in turn command hundreds of lesser vassal houses. Each of the Great Houses rules a large region and commands significant armies and power in their own right. A list of the Great Houses and some of their more significant vassals follows: *House Stark of Winterfell: rulers of the North, the largest region of the continent. Officially led by Princess Sansa Stark who is supported by her "half-brother" King Jon Snow. **House Dragen of Snake Mount: vassals of the Starks who rule the lands east of Winterfell. The Dragens are the second most powerful family in the North due to their status as Lord Defenders of the North. Led by Lord Garth Dragen. **House Umber of the Last Hearth: vassals of the Starks who rule over the lands between Winterfell and the Wall. Led by Lord Greatjon Umber. **House Karstark of Karhold: vassals of the Starks who rule over the north-eastern lands of the North. Led by Lord Rickard Karstark. **House Mormont of Bear Island: vassals of the Starks who rule over Bear Island, which is north west of Winterfell. Led by the young Lady Lyanna Mormont. **House Manderly of White Harbor: vassals of the Starks who rule over White Harbor, the only city in the North. Led by Lord Wyman Manderly. **House Glover of Deepwood Motte: vassals of the Starks who rule over Deepwood Motte, which is located in the Wolfswood north west of Winterfell. Led by Lord Galbart Glover. **House Hornwood of Hornwood: vasaal of the Starks who rule over Hornwood, which is located in forested lands southeast of Winterfell. Their leader is unknown. **House Mazin: noble house in the North. Supporting House Stark after the Battle of the Bastards. Their leader is unknown. **House Arryn of the Eyrie: rulers of the Vale of Arryn. A house noted for its chivalry. Currently supporting House Stark after the Battle of the Bastards. Led by the young Lord Robin Arryn. ***House Royce of Runestone: Vassals of House Arryn who rule the lands east of the Eyrie. Led by Lord Yohn Royce. *House Lannister of Casterly Rock: rulers of the Westerlands and, after the extinction of House Baratheon, the rulers of Westeros. Richest house in Westeros. Led by Queen Cersei Lannister. **House Clegane of Clegane's Keep: a house of landed knights in the service of the Lannisters. Officially extinct, however, led by the resurrected Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain. **House Montrose of Westridge: Vassals of House Lannister who rule over the southwestern reaches of the Westerlands. Led by Lord Myrion Montrose. *House Tully of Riverrun: rulers of the Riverlands, the well-traveled central region of the continent. Led by Lord Edmure Tully. **House Frey of the Twins: vassals of the Tullys who hold the only major crossing of the Green Fork of the Trident. Noted for their large numbers and tendency to always pick the winning side. After the recent murder of Walder Frey their leader is uncertain. **House Bracken of Stone Hedge: Vassals of the Tullys who rule the lands south of the Red Fork of the Trident river. Led by Lord Jonos Bracken. **House Clement of Bannhurst: Vassals of the Tullys who rule the lands situated between the Gods Eye and Blackwater Rush. They serve as the Lord Defenders of the Riverlands. Led by Lord Tyran Clement. *House Greyjoy of Pyke: rulers of the Iron Islands off the west coast of the continent. The ironborn are fierce and independently-minded, but a recent attempt to rebel against the Iron Throne was defeated. After the murder of Balon Grejoy their men were split, they are partially led by King Euron Greyjoy and partially led by Queen Yara Greyjoy. The latter is currently supporting House Targaryen. *House Targaryen: the former rulers of Westeros before Robert's Rebellion. The family is now destroyed and its survivors are exiles in the far east, now sailing back to Westeros to retake their birthright. Led by Queen Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons. **House Tyrell of Highgarden: rulers of the Reach, a vast, fertile region in the south of Westeros. The most populous region of the continent and able to field the largest armies. Currently supporting House Targaryen. Provisionally led by Lady Olenna Tyrell. ***House Tarly of Horn Hill: vassals of the Tyrells who rule over the lands in the south west of the Reach. Led by Lord Randyll Tarly. **House Baerley of Sunspear: rulers of Dorne, the southern-most region of the continent. Separated from the rest of Westeros by extensive mountains and a sea, currently supporting House Targaryen. Led by Prince Drevyn Baerley following the Coup in Dorne. *House Harrigon of Smithestone: rulers of the Stormlands. Became the Great House of the Stormlands following a Stormmoot after the extinction of House Baratheon. Led by Lord Rickard Harrigon. *House Blackgard of Ebonheart: rulers of the Borderlands, a stretch of land that separates the Stormlands from the rest of Westeros. Lead by King Althurin I, formerly known as Steffon Blackgard. Extinct Great Houses *House Baratheon of Storm's End: former rulers of the Stormlands and, after the civil war, the whole of Westeros. It has been legally confirmed to be extinct. Formerly led by King Robert Baratheon and his brothers, Stannis and Renly. **House Baratheon of King's Landing: former rulers of Westeros. After the suicide of Tommen Baratheon it became extinct. *House Bolton of the Dreadfort: former vassals of the Starks who ruled over the eastern lands of the North, briefly Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Took over Winterfell from Theon Greyjoy, defeated and annihilated by House Stark at the Battle of the Bastards. Officially declared extinct. *House Martell of Sunspear. Functionally extinct in the male line after the deaths of Doran and Trystane Martell during the Coup in Dorne. The line still lives on in Ardyn Martell and in Oberyn Martell's bastard daughters and son. Cast This list of characters describes their location and status as of the first episode of the series. House Stark :Main article: House Stark *Sean Bean as Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark, Lord of Winterfell. *Michelle Fairley as Lady Catelyn Stark, originally of House Tully. *Richard Madden as Robb Stark, Eddard's eldest son and heir. *Henry Cavill as Ashter Stark, Eddard's second oldest son. *Taron Egerton as Rodrik Stark, Eddard's third oldest son. *Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark, Eddard's eldest daughter. *Maisie Williams as Arya Stark, Eddard's youngest daughter. *Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark, Eddard's fourth son. *Art Parkinson as Rickon Stark, Eddard's youngest son. *Kit Harington as Jon Snow, Eddard's bastard son by an unknown mother. *Joseph Mawle as Benjen Stark, Eddard's younger brother, First Ranger of the Night's Watch. Retainers at Winterfell *Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy, a ward and hostage for his rebellious father's good behavior. *Ron Donachie as Ser Rodrik Cassel, master of arms. *Jamie Sives as Jory Cassel, Rodrik's nephew, captain of the guards. *Peter Mullan as Ser Kormed Grayburn, a knight of House Grayburn in service to House Stark. *Donald Sumpter as Maester Luwin, a maester of the Citadel. *Toby Jones as Archsepton Redmond, the leader of the Faith of the Seven clergy in the North. *Kristian Nairn as Hodor, a simple stableboy. *Margaret John as Old Nan, a retired servant and Hodor's great-grandmother. *Susan Brown as Septa Mordane, a religious tutor and governess to Arya and Sansa. *Esme Bianco as Ros, a prostitute working in Winterfell's outlying town. Vassals and allies of House Stark *Clive Mantle as Lord Greatjon Umber, Lord of Last Hearth, a loyal vassal of House Stark. *Dean S. Jagger as Smalljon Umber, Lord Jon's son and heir. *John Stahl as Lord Rickard Karstark, Lord of Karhold, a vassal and distant kinsman of House Stark. *Paul Rattray as Harald Karstark, Lord Rickard's son and heir. *Bella Ramsey as Lady Lyanna Mormont, Lady of Bear Island. *Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Barbrey Dustin, Lady of Barrowton. *Tim McInnerny as Lord Robett Glover, the Master of Deepwood Motte. *Tom Varey as Lord Cley Cerwyn, the heir to House Cerwyn. *Sean Blowers as Lord Wyman Manderly, Lord of White Harbor, a powerful and loyal vassal of House Stark. *Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Jojen Reed, the son and heir of Lord Howland Reed, one of Eddard Stark's closest friends and allies. *Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed, Jojen's older sister. House Bolton and retainers *Michael McElhatton as Lord Roose Bolton, Lord of the Dreadfort, a vassal of Eddard Stark. *Iwan Rheon as Ramsay Snow, Lord Roose's bastard son. *Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Rogun Bolton, Lord Roose's firstborn son and heir. *Ralph Fiennes as Randar Bolton, Lord Roose's older brother and chief adviser. *Elinor Crawley as Katryna, Rogun's bedwarmer. *Noah Taylor as Locke, a vassal and hunter in Lord Bolton's service. *Charlotte Hope as Myranda, the kennel master's daughter at the Dreadfort, and Ramsay's bedwarmer. *Richard Rycroft as Maester Wolkan, a maester in service to House Bolton. *Eoin Macken as Roddick, the captain of the guards at the Dreadfort. *Jamie Michie as Steelshanks, a man-at-arms in service to House Bolton. *David Gyasi as Jorrar Qharaq, a mercenary originally from Qohor. House Dragen *Gerard Butler as Lord Garth Dragen, Lord Defender of the North and an old friend of Ned Stark. *Travis Fimmel as Ser Lucius Dragen, Garth's firstborn son and heir. *Hugh Dancy as Ser Ethan Snow, Garth's bastard half-brother and the master-at-arms of Snake Mount. *Cate Blanchett as Lady Alise Dragen, Garth's wife, originally of House Glover. *Phoebe Tonkin as Mira Dragen, Lucius' twin sister. *Nicholas Hoult as Erikar "Erik" Dragen, Garth's thirdborn child. *Oscar Lloyd as Domeric Dragen, Garth's youngest child. *Paul Brightwell as Ser Jaran Dragen, Garth's older brother and a ranger of the Night's Watch. Retainers at Snake Mount *Anthony Hopkins as Maester Vahaelor, the maester of Snake Mount. *John Kavanagh as Duncan Catell, castellan of Snake Mount. *Domhnall Gleeson as Vurus, a red priest. *Julian Rhind-Tutt as Grond, the Master Torturer of Snake Mount. *Craig Roberts as Coren Brewlan, Garth's squire. *Alexander Ludwig as Elden the Beater, a henchman of Lucius. *Gustaf Skarsgård as Whipmaster Karden, a henchman of Lucius. Vassals and allies of House Dragen House Grayburn and retainers *Liam Neeson as Lord Hendrick Grayburn, the Lord of Brightbank. *Helen McCrory as Lady Jaeneth Grayburn, his wife. *Alex Pettyfer as Carmine Grayburn, Hendrick's firstborn son and heir and the leader of Grayburn's Legion. *Suki Waterhouse as Madelynne Grayburn, Hendrick's second child and first daughter. *Isabelle Allen as Ariana Grayburn, Hendrick's third child and second daughter. *Robert Sheehan as Konrad Grayburn, Hendrick's nephew and a ranger of the Night's Watch. *Anthony Head as Ser William Blackfell, castellan and master-at-arms of Brightbank. *George Harris as Maester Aderic, the maester of Brightbank. Vassals and allies of House Grayburn *Tom Skerritt as Lord Trytas Nyte, Lord of Darkmyre. *Paul Bettany as Rodrik Nyte, his only surviving son, an albino. *Kate Beckinsale as Tesha Nyte, his only daughter. *Donal Logue as Lord Anthor Dyser, Lord of Falkirk. House Forrester and retainers *Frank McCusker as Lord Gregor Forrester, Lord of Ironrath. *Marcia Cross as Lady Elissa Forrester, his wife. *Rupert Young as Rodrik Forrester, Gregor's firstborn son and heir. *Joel Edgerton as Asher Forrester, Gregor's secondborn son, currently a sellsword in Essos. *Daisy Ridley as Mira Forrester, Gregor's thirdborn child and eldest daughter, currently a handmaiden for Margaery Tyrell. *Henry Friedman as Ethan Forrester, Gregor's fourthborn child and third son. House Lannister :Main article: House Lannister *Charles Dance as Lord Tywin Lannister, the widowed patriarch of House Lannister and father of Jaime, Cersei and Tyrion. *Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, twin sister of Jaime, mother of Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. *Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Ser Jaime Lannister, a knight of the Kingsguard, twin brother of Cersei. *Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Cersei and Jaime's younger brother, called the Imp for his size. *Ian Gelder as Ser Kevan Lannister, Lord Tywin's younger brother and closest adviser. *Eugene Simon as Lancel Lannister, Ser Kevan's son, a squire to King Robert. *Nick Dunning as Maron Lannister, another brother of Lord Tywin who also serves as his adviser. *Edvin Endre as Robert Lannister, only son of Maron Lannister and former squire to Lord Tywin. *Richard Wilson as Lord Tybalt Lannister, Lord Tywin's cousin who rules over the city of Lannisport. *Annete Badland as Lady Cynda Lannister, his wife, formerly of House Florent. *Liam Garrigan as Teran Lannister, Tybalt's firstborn son and heir. *Karl Davies as Alton Lannister, Tybalt's secondborn son. Vassals and allies of House Lannister *Daniel Portman as Podrick Payne, a squire, a member of one of the Lannisters' vassal families. *Fintan McKeown as Ser Amory Lorch, a loyal vassal and retainer of House Lannister. *Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane, Prince Joffrey's bodyguard and sworn sword, long in the service of House Lannister. Known as "The Hound". *Conan Stevens (Season 1)/Ian Whyte (Season 2)/Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Season 4-) as Ser Gregor Clegane, Sandor Clegane's brother and the most feared knight in Westeros, called "The Mountain" because of his massive size. *Anthony Morris as the Tickler, a noted interrogator and torturer in the service of Ser Gregor Clegane. *Andy Kellegher as Polliver, a master-at-arms in the service of Ser Gregor Clegane. House Baratheon :Main article: House Baratheon *Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms. *Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey Baratheon, King Robert's eldest son and heir. *Aimee Richardson (Season 1-2)/Nell Tiger Free (Season 5-) as Myrcella Baratheon, King Robert's eldest daughter. *Callum Wharry (Season 1-2)/Dean-Charles Chapman (Season 4-) as Tommen Baratheon, King Robert's youngest son. *Gethin Anthony as Lord Renly Baratheon, King Robert's youngest brother, Lord of Storm's End. *Stephen Dillane as Lord Stannis Baratheon, King Robert's middle brother, Lord of Dragonstone. *Tara Fitzgerald as Lady Selyse Baratheon, Lord Stannis's wife, originally of House Florent. *Kerry Ingram as Shireen Baratheon, Lord Stannis's daughter and only child. Vassals and allies of House Baratheon *Carice van Houten as Melisandre, Lord Stannis's adviser, a red priestess. *Liam Cunningham as Ser Davos Seaworth, a former smuggler, now Lord Stannis' most loyal vassal. *Matthew Macfayden as Ser Glendon Estermont, Stannis' captain of the guards. *Kerr Logan as Matthos Seaworth, Ser Davos's son and Lord Stannis' squire. *Oliver Ford Davies as Maester Cressen, Lord Stannis's maester. *Lucian Msamati as Salladhor Saan, a freesail in Stannis's employ. *Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth, a fierce warrior from the Stormlands. *Jed Brophy as Archsepton Kardran, the leader of the Faith of the Seven clergy in the Stormlands. *Gordon Mahn as Ser Imry Florent, the brother of Lady Selyse. House Harrigon *Karl Johnson as Lord Jothos Harrigon, Lord of Smithestone. *Charlotte Riley as Larinna Harrigon, Jothos' firstborn daughter. *Peter Mooney as Rickard Harrigon, Jothos' second child and first son. Retainers at Smithestone *James Purefoy as Ser Ardrew Ashes, a bastard of House Blackgard and the master-at-arms of Smithestone. Vassals and allies of House Harrigon House Arryn and retainers :Main article: House Arryn *Kate Dickie as Lady Lysa Arryn, originally of House Tully, Catelyn Stark's sister. *Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn, Lord Jon's only surviving son and heir. *Brendan McCormack as Ser Vardis Egen, the captain of the Eyrie's household guards. *Ciaran Birmingham as Mord, the Eyrie's chief gaoler. *Jefferson Hall as Ser Hugh of the Vale, Lord Jon's former squire. *Rupert Vansittart as Lord Yohn Royce, one of the Arryns' most stalwart vassals and supporters. *Paola Dionisotti as Lady Anya Waynwood, one of the Arryns' vassals. *Richard Doubleday as Ser Vance Corbray, a knight of House Corbray. *Alisdair Simpson as Ser Donnel Waynwood, the Knight of the Gate. House Tyrell :Main article: House Tyrell *Roger Ashton-Griffiths as Lord Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and the Reach. Son of Olenna and the father of Loras and Margaery. *Finn Jones as Ser Loras Tyrell, Lord Renly Baratheon's former squire and a famous tourney knight. *Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell, Loras's sister. *Dame Diana Rigg as Olenna Redwyne, nicknamed the Queen of Thorns, the matriarch of the Tyrell family. Vassals and allies of House Tyrell *Milo Ventimiglia as Ser Gareth Mallory, Lady Margaery's personal bodyguard. *James Faulkner as Lord Randyll Tarly, Lord of Horn Hill, one of the Tyrells' vassals, and father of Samwell Tarly. *Samantha Spiro as Lady Melessa Tarly, Randyll's wife. *Freddie Stroma as Dickon Tarly, Randyll's youngest son and heir. *Rebecca Benson as Talla Tarly, Randyll's daughter. *Colm Feore as Ser Darron Tarly, Randyll's younger brother and the master-at-arms of Horn Hill. *Joanne Whalley as Clarysse Hightower, his wife. House Greyjoy and retainers :Main article: House Greyjoy *Patrick Malahide as Lord Balon Greyjoy, Lord of Pyke, father of Theon Greyjoy. *Gemma Whelan as Yara Greyjoy, the only daughter of Lord Balon. *Pilou Asbæk as Euron Greyjoy, nicknamed "Crow's Eye", a younger brother of Lord Balon. *Francis Chouler as Dorran Pyke, Euron's bastard son. *Michael Feast as Aeron Greyjoy, nicknamed "Damphair", a younger brother of Lord Balon. *Marton Csokas as Victarion Greyjoy, a younger brother of Balon who leads the Iron Fleet. *Tom Hardy as Lord Jasper Greyjoy, Lord Balon's youngest brother and the Lord of Saltcliffe. *Clive Standen as Lord Caspus Harlaw, Lord of Ten Towers and Balon's nephew by marriage. *Tuppence Middleston as Lady Amyra Harlaw, his wife. *Rupert Graves as Vyran, a Kogathi pirate and Caspus' second-in-command. *Zach McGowan as Geldon Goodbrother, a raider under Caspus' command. *Forbes KB as Lorren, a noted raider and reaver in the service of House Greyjoy. *Ralph Ineson as Dagmer, a noted raider, reaver and ship captain in the service of House Greyjoy. *Stephen Lang as Rud Volmark, a renowned admiral and military leader. *Grahame Fox as Ralf Kenning, an ironborn commander. *Jody Halse as Adrack Humble, second-in-command to Ralf Kenning. House Tully and retainers :Main article: House Tully *Tobias Menzies as Ser Edmure Tully, the son and heir of the ailing Lord Hoster Tully and the brother of Lady Catelyn Stark. *Clive Russell as Ser Brynden Tully, Lord Hoster's younger brother, a famous knight known as "The Blackfish" House Frey and retainers *David Bradley as Lord Walder Frey, Lord of the Twins, an old and prickly vassal of House Tully, past ninety years of age. *Kelly Long as Joyeuse Erenford, Walder Frey's newest wife. *Tim Plester as "Black Walder" Frey, the great-grandson of Walder Frey and a noted warrior with a hot temper. *Tom Brooke (Season 3)/Daniel Tuite (Season 6) as "Lame Lothar" Frey, a son of Walder Frey, nicknamed after the limp he has in his left leg. *Bill Skarsgård as Barden Frey, another son of Walder Frey and a notorious rapist. *Katharine Isabelle as Bertha Frey, Barden's twin sister. *Alexander Dreymon as Ser Holden Frey, a son of Walder Frey and a renowned knight. *Alexandra Dowling as Roslin Frey, one of Lord Frey's youngest daughters. *Elizabeth Webster as Fat Walda Frey, one of Lord Frey's granddaughters, recently married to Roose Bolton. House Martell and retainers :Main article: House Martell *Alexander Siddig as Prince Doran Martell, the ruling lord of Dorne, who is heavily suffering from gout and confined to a wheelchair. *Toby Sebastian as Prince Trystane Martell, Prince Doran’s son and heir to Dorne. *Pedro Pascal as Prince Oberyn Martell, popularly known as the Red Viper. Younger brother of the ruling Prince Doran Martell of Dorne. *Indira Varma as Ellaria Sand, Oberyn's paramour and mother to several of his children. *Keisha Castle-Hughes as Obara Sand, a fearsome warrior and the eldest bastard daughter of Prince Oberyn. *Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand, the second eldest of Prince Oberyn’s bastard daughters. *Rosabell Laurenti Sellers as Tyene Sand, the daughter of Prince Oberyn by Ellaria Sand, his paramour. *Victor Rasuk as Zarin Sand, the only known son of Prince Oberyn by his paramour, Ellaria Sand. *Liam McIntyre as Ethon, Prince Doran's ward. *DeObia Oparei as Areo Hotah, the long-serving captain of Doran Martell’s palace guard, renowned for his loyalty and his longaxe. *Colin Azzopardi as Maester Caleotte, the maester at Sunspear. House Baerley and retainers *Juan Pablo Di Pace as Prince Drevyn Baerley, the new Lord of Sunspear following the Coup in Dorne. *Mark Ryder as Dastan Baerley, his firsborn son and heir. *Dave Bautista as Joren Nestaar, House Baerley's captain of the guards. House Blackgard *Jeremy Irons as Lord Trevyr Blackgard, the Lord of Ebonheart and former Hand of the King to Aegon V Targaryen. *Ray Stevenson as Dyron Blackgard, Trevyr's firsborn son and heir. *François Arnaud as Lucan Blackgard, Trevyr's secondborn son. *Riley Keough as Elyse Blackgard, Trevyr's third child and only daughter. *Max Irons as Eddin Blackgard, Trevyr's youngest son. *Claire Bloom as Sofina Blackgard, Trevyr's younger sister. *Veerle Baetens as Talya Blackgard, Dyron's wife, formerly of House Smyte. *Steve Bacic as Ser Marlen Rosby, Elyse's abusive husband who is a renowned tourney knight. *Holliday Grainger as Lady Elen Blackgard, Eddin's wife, formerly of House Tarth. *Luke Pasqualino as Steffon Blackgard, Dyron's eldest son. *Sofia Boutella as Anera Blackgard, Dyron's second child and only daughter. *Ryan Gage as Aeron Blackgard, Dyron's second son and youngest child. Retainers at Ebonheart *Michael Gambon as Asten Wylde, close friend of Trevyr and castellan of Ebonheart. *Denis Lawson as Archmaester Lorgan, the maester at Ebonheart. *Jamie Campbell Bower as Arton Lannister, son of Ser Kevan Lannister and Lord Trevyr's ward. *David Robb as Ser Brant Tymber, master-at-arms of Blackgard. *John Hurt as Archsepton Harrion, the leader of the Faith of the Seven clergy in the Borderlands. *Oded Fehr as Lok-Sonaak Vumir, the leader of the Hahnuiel. *Tom Cullen as Ser Markas Warth, the Lord Commander of the Blackgard Sentinels. Vassals and allies of House Blackgard In the Riverlands and the Vale :Main article: Riverlands *Jerome Flynn as Bronn, a sellsword met at the Crossroads Inn. *Emun Elliott as Marillion, a singer and troubadour met at the Crossroads Inn. *Matthew McNulty as Casper, a mercenary who becomes Ashter Stark's sworn sword. *Sibel Kekilli as Shae, a camp-follower and prostitute attached to the Lannister army. *Mark Lewis Jones as Shagga, a warrior clan chief from the Mountains of the Moon. *Oona Chaplin as Talisa Maegyr, a battlefield nurse originally from Volantis. *Paul Kaye as Thoros of Myr, a red priest, warrior, famed drinker and friend of King Robert. *Tom Holland as Arthur Stark, Beric Dondarrion's squire. *Philip McGinley as Anguy, an exceptionally-skilled archer of the Brotherhood Without Banners. *Anton Lesser as Qyburn, a disgraced maester. *Ian McShane as Brother Ray, a former mercenary who now serves the faith. *Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Lem Lemoncloak, a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners. *Danny Sapani as Baelic, a sellsword who travels with the Brotherhood Without Banners. In the Stormlands and the Borderlands *Ben Geurens as Harrin Smithe, a famous outlaw renowned as the "King of Thieves". *Rutger Hauer as Gyllor Paenion, a mysterious recluse and an old ally of Lord Varys. *Edward Norton as the Whistleblower, the enigmatic leader of the Zul Joriin. In the North *David Hayman as Godric Dyser, leader of Dyser's Marauders. *Mohammad Bakri as Abdar Alhos, the mysterious and sinister leader of the Brotherhood of Darkness. In the Crownlands *Colm Meaney as Lord Hersham Groatworth, a former advisor to Aerys II Targaryen. In the Westerlands *Mads Mikkelsen as Timos Crakehall, a cannibal and serial killer. In King's Landing *Aidan Gillen as Lord Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish, the Master of Coin on the king's small council. *Julian Glover as Grand Maester Pycelle, the master of wisdom on the king's small council. *Conleth Hill as Varys, the Master of Whisperers on the king's small council. *Keith Allen as Lord Eyron Morvayn, an advisor and friend of King Robert. *Hal Ozsan as Ser Roman Mercer, the leader of the Blackwatch. *Jonathan Pryce as the High Sparrow, who serves those forgotten by much of the world – the poor, the downtrodden and the infirm – and quickly amassed a large following. *Ian McElhinney as Lord Commander Barristan Selmy, the head of the Kingsguard. *Ian Beattie as Ser Meryn Trant, a knight of the Kingsguard. *Wilko Johnson as Ser Ilyn Payne, the king's headsman and executioner. *Faran Tahir as Ardyn Martell, Lord Baelish's personal enforcer. *Richard Dormer as Lord Beric Dondarrion, a young lord and popular tourney knight. *Dominic Carter as Commander Janos Slynt, the commander of the City Watch. *Miltos Yerolemou as Syrio Forel, a master swordsman from Braavos. *Andrew Wilde as Tobho Mott, a master armorer and smith. *Joe Dempsie as Gendry, Mott's apprentice who is secretly a bastard of King Robert. *Emma Watson as Sarina Waters, another bastard of King Robert who works as a serving girl in the Red Keep. *Will Tudor as Olyvar, a male prostitute and spy. *Sahara Knite as Armeca, a female prostitute. *Josephine Gillan as Marei, a female prostitute. *Elizabeth Cadwallader as Lollys Stokeworth, a simple-minded noblewoman. *Eros Vlahos as Lommy Greenhands, a dyer's apprentice. *Ben Hawkey as Hot Pie, a baker's apprentice. *Andy Beckwith as Rorge, a street criminal imprisoned in the Red Keep. *Gerard Jordan as Biter, a street criminal imprisoned in the Red Keep. *Tom Wlaschiha as Jaqen H'ghar, a prisoner in the Red Keep. *Roy Dotrice as Wisdom Hallyne, the head of the Alchemists' Guild. *Paul Bentley as the High Septon, the head of the Faith of the Seven. *Hannah Waddingham as Septa Unella, a devoted follower of the High Sparrow. *Tony Way as Ser Dontos Hollard, a knight in service to the crown. In the Night's Watch :Main article: Night's Watch *James Cosmo as Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, commander of the Night's Watch. *Owen Teale as Ser Alliser Thorne, in charge of training new recruits. *Peter Vaughan as Maester Aemon, Lord Mormont's closest adviser. *Michael Condron as Bowen Marsh, the First Steward of the Watch. *Brian Fortune as Othell Yarwyck, the First Builder of the Watch. *William Kircher as Cotter Pyke, the commander of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. *Francis Magee as Yoren, a recruiter for the Watch. *Predrag Bjelac as Denner Frostfinger, an old hand of the Watch who primarily trains new recruits. *John Bradley-West as Samwell Tarly, a nobleman's son, a fresh recruit to the Wall. *Josef Altin as Pypar, a fresh recruit to the Watch, a former actor. *Mark Stanley as Grenn, a fresh recruit to the Watch. *Luke McEwan as Rast, a fresh recruit to the Watch, arrested for rape. *Ben Crompton as Eddison Tollett, a squire, noted for his pessimistic sense of humor. *Simon Armstrong as Qhorin Halfhand, one of the Watch's most respected rangers. *J.J. Murphy as Ser Denys Mallister, the commander of the Shadow Tower. *Burn Gorman as Karl, a ranger and former assassin from King's Landing. *Brenock O'Connor as Olly, a young boy from the Gift. Beyond the Wall *Natalia Tena as Osha, a wildling warrior-woman. *Robert Pugh as Craster, a wildling whose keep provides a safehaven for rangers of the Watch. *Hannah Murray as Gilly, one of Craster's daughters. *Rose Leslie as Ygritte, a wildling warrior-woman in the service of Mance Rayder. *Edward Dogliani (Season 2-3)/Ross O'Hennessy (Season 5) as the Lord of Bones, a famed wildling warrior. *Mackenzie Crook as Orell, a sinister wildling with unnatural powers. *Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane, a charismatic wildling leader. *Ciarán Hinds as Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall, the leader of all the wildlings by acclamation. *Sophia Myles as Val, Mance Rayder's sister-in-law. *Yuri Kolokolnikov as Styr, the Magnar of Thenn. *Neil Fingleton as Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg, a Giant. *Struan Rodger (Season 4)/Max von Sydow (Season 6) as the Three-eyed raven, the last Greenseer. *Octavia Alexandru (Season 4)/Kae Alexander (Season 6) as Leaf, a child of the forest. *John Rhys-Davies as Tregar Blackgard, an ancestor of House Blackgard and another Greenseer. *Viggo Mortensen as Aenir Targaryen, a wandering protector of the Northern borders. *Richard Brake (Season 4-5)/Vladimir Furdik (Season 6-) as the Night's King, the leader of the White Walkers. *Ian Whyte as Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun, a Giant. *Birgitte Hjort Sørensen as Karsi, a Wildling leader. *Zahary Baharov as Loboda, a Thenn. *Murray McArthur as Dim Dalba, a Wildling elder. In Vaes Dothrak *Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo, the leading warlord of the Dothraki. *Dar Salim as Qotho, one of Drogo's bloodriders. *Elyes Gabel as Rakharo, a Dothraki warrior in Daenerys's service as a bodyguard. *Steven Cole as Kovarro, a Dothraki warrior. *Amrita Acharia as Irri, a handmaiden gifted to Daenerys. *Roxanne McKee as Doreah, a servant and adviser gifted to Daenerys. *Ivailo Dimitrov as Mago, a Dothraki warrior. *Joe Naufahu as Khal Moro, a warlord of the Dothraki. *Souad Faress as the High Priestess of the Dosh Khaleen, the leader of the widows of dead Khals. *Hannah John-Kamen as Ornela, a member of the Dosh khaleen. *Staz Nair as Qhono, a Dothraki warrior. In the Free Cities *Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen, an exiled Targaryen claimant to the Iron Throne. *Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen, Viserys's younger sister. *Iain Glen as Ser Jorah Mormont, a knight of Westeros, exiled by Lord Eddard Stark. *Gal Gadot as Alia Grivas, the Sealady of Braavos. *Sean Harris as Jon Connington, the former Hand of the King to Aerys II Targaryen. *Tom Felton as Aegon Targaryen, the long-thought dead son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. *Roger Allam as Illyrio Mopatis, a magister of the Free City of Pentos. *Mia Soteriou as Mirri Maz Duur, a healer of the Lhazareen people. *Mark Gatiss as Tycho Nestoris, a representative of the Iron Bank of Braavos. *Gary Oliver as Ternesio Terys, a trader from Braavos. *Faye Marsay as The Waif, an acolyte of the Faceless Men. *Richard E. Grant as Izembaro, leader of a Braavosi theater troupe. *Essie Davis as Lady Crane, the leading actress in Izembaro's theater troupe. *Sir Ben Kingsley as Aeren Nestaris, a magister of Qohor and the secret leader of the Horned Men. *Sir Ian McKellen as the Tattered Prince, the commander of the Windblown sellsword company. *Brian Cox as Thorodos Oderah, a wealthy merchant-lord. *John Kani as Venar, a merchant originally from the Summer Islands. In Qarth *Nonso Anozie as Xaro Xhoan Daxos, a merchant lord of Qarth. *Ian Hanmore as Pyat Pree, a warlock of Qarth. *Laura Pradelska as Quaithe, a priestess of the Shadow Lands resident in Qarth. *Nicholas Blane as the Spice King, the leader of the spice merchants of Qarth. In Slaver's Bay *Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei, a slave and translator working in the city of Astapor. *Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm, a warrior-eunuch of the Unsullied. *Dan Hildebrand as Kraznys mo Nakloz, a slave-trader and immensely rich merchant in Astapor. *Clifford Barry as Greizhen mo Ullhor, one of the Good Masters of Astapor. *George Georgiou as Razdal mo Eraz, a slave-trader and one of the Wise Masters of Yunkai. *Ed Skrein (Season 3)/Michiel Huisman (Season 4-) as Daario Naharis, a charismatic mercenary. *Mark Killeen as Mero, a mercenary commander from Braavos nicknamed "The Titan's Bastard". *Ramon Tikaram as Prendahl na Ghezn, a mercenary commander. *Joel Fry as Hizdahr zo Loraq, a master of Meereen. *Reece Noi as Mossador, a slave in Meereen. *Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Malko, a pirate. *Enzo Cilenti as Yezzan zo Qaggaz, an extremely wealthy slave-trader in Meereen. *Meena Rayann as Vala, a female prostitute and an associate of the Sons of the Harpy. *Gerald Lepkowski as Zanrush, a red priest based in Meereen. *Ania Bukstein as Kinvara, the High Priestess of the Red Temple of Volantis See also * * * References Category:LordOfTheNeverThere Category:Television shows